Texas Rep. Ron Paul's suggestion that United States actions were partly to blame for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks is prompting several primary challengers to vie for the Republican's House seat.

Paul's comments during the second GOP presidential debate brought his anti-war stance to the fore. And the challengers inspired by his views are just the latest manifestation of a GOP base looking askance at congressmen who have bucked the party over the Iraq war.

Friendswood City Councilman Chris Peden has formed an exploratory committee seat and is likely to announce a primary bid against Paul in the next several weeks. And one of Paul's former district aides, Eric Dondero Rittberg -- who later dropped the Rittberg and now goes by Eric Dondero -- has already announced his campaign, calling his ex-boss a "complete nutcase" and his views on foreign policy "near-treasonous."

Paul spokesman Mark Elam said Paul "takes every challenge seriously," but dismissed the two nascent campaigns, referring to Peden as a political opportunist.

"Only a few months ago, he was singing the congressman's praises," Elam said. "He promised he would never run against him in the primary so long as (Paul) was running for reelection."

As for Dondero, Elam described him as a disgruntled lower-level employee and as "looney-tunes." Dondero served as Paul's senior district aide from 1996 to 2003, and also as his driver during the 1996 campaign.

But regardless of who runs, Galveston County Republican Chairman Kerry Neves said he expects Paul to face a more spirited primary challenge than in the past because his participation in the presidential race has drawn attention to his anti-war positions.

"Some of his comments on the debate and on the stump are getting a lot more publicity and coverage than historically he has received," Neves said. "It has generated a backlash in some people's minds."

Paul's outspoken views on foreign policy haven't yet had a visible effect on his district support. Several days after the second presidential debate, Paul appeared at the Galveston County Lincoln Day Dinner, where he received a warm reception from the attendees.

Four other Republican members who have expressed reservations about the war in Iraq are also facing spirited primary challenges from the right.

Their bids underscore a sizable disconnect between how independents and Democrats view Iraq in comparison to the Republican base. A CBS News poll in late April showed that 59 percent of Republicans oppose any timetable for withdrawal from Iraq, while an overwhelming share of independents (65 percent) and Democrats (83 percent) support such a measure.

Rep. Walter B. Jones Jr. (R-N.C.) is facing a serious challenge from Onslow County Commissioner Joseph McLaughlin in a district that houses one-fifth of the Marine Corps at Camp Lejeune. Onslow County is the largest in the district.

"Disloyalty is something you can't tolerate. That's the way military people look at it," said Onslow County GOP Chairman Ronald Cherubini. "As a party, we have sent him a letter saying we cannot support you anymore because you're not voting (with) your constituency."

Cherubini said that party chairmen from the heavily Republican counties in the eastern portion of the district have also told the congressman that he would not receive their support in his primary bid for reelection.

Meanwhile, Rep. Wayne Gilchrest's opposition to the war has drawn considerable flak from GOP activists back home on Maryland's Eastern Shore. State Sen. Andrew Harris is mulling a run against the congressman, who previously has faced serious primary challenges from the right.

Reps. Bob Inglis (R-S.C) and Ric Keller (R-Fla.) are also facing challenges from their rightward flank. Conservatives criticized Keller in February for giving a House speech likening the Iraq war to a neighbor's unkempt lawn. Already radio talk show host Todd Long is running against him in the primary.

While Inglis supported the Republicans in opposing timetables for troop withdrawal from Iraq, his earlier vote opposing President Bush's troop surge has drawn potential opposition in his conservative Greenville-based district. Several state legislators are weighing challenges.